Affiar
by annoymous
Summary: Zhao often has the oddest obsessions. Zhao/Ursa


_Author's Notes_

_- Warnings: Zhao/Ursa. Mentions of Ozai/Zhao and Ozai/Ursa.  
_

_- I have no beta. I am friendless. All mistakes are mine._

_- I really, really abuse poor Ursa. Again, not my personal canon though it has elements from Omaini (there's a link to that story on my profile)._

_- I gave Iroh's wife a name, which is Chinese based rather than Japanese as it seems to be the trend._

_- I'm also a little lost and confused with the whole 'ranking' system in the Fire Nation. Please bare with me._

* * *

**Avatar: the Last Airbender and all characters associated with that series belong to their respective owners. No money has been made off of this.**

* * *

Zhao had always been drawn to the Princess Ursa of the Fire Nation.

The remarkable beauty of the Second Princess was well known among the Nation, disguised during the wedding by obfuscating robes and proudly displayed during her crowning ceremony; bright almond shaped eyes, full lips, a face smooth and oval with a gentle curve of a chin, long ebony hair that she favored to wear simply to show off the silken quality.

Zhao recalled the young princess looking uncomfortable in her robes during her crowning ceremony, so young and fragile in her appearance. He admired the fact that she did not press up to her new husband to shield herself from the eyes of the crowd and court, a simple strength that a daughter of Fire should bare. Perhaps she just seemed more remarkable to the then Lieutenant when compared to the other women in the Fire Nation Royal family. The aging Fire Lady Ilah's once legendary beauty had faded over the years and the Crown Princess Ying-Tai had always just been rather ordinary though blessed with a remarkable bosom.

Yet, he always found it a pity that Ursa should remain in such an unremarkable role, though the third year of her marriage that Zhao's simple observation of the girl's beauty slowly grew. At he time, he had been just been promoted to Captain and the Second Prince had requested Zhao's presence as confidant again; a relationship that twisted, turned, shadowed, and brightened during the years.

He had not seen the princess since her crowning and never up close. As he regained favor with Ozai, they would often pass the young Princess keeping company with her nephew (who wasn't much younger than Ursa) and her sister-in-law or completely absorbed with the sickly young prince she had given birth to and treasured. Each time she passed him by, he followed the curve of her pace, the luminosity of her eyes, the simple ageless quality she had grown into.

Admiration became more when the obviously pregnant Crown Princess and the Second Princess passed by Ozai and Zhao during one winter afternoon. Ursa walked just slightly behind Princess Ying-Tai as custom of rank, though the two women laughed merrily, well known for the friendship and enjoying the other's company. The older woman easily brushed by the Second Prince while the young beauty paused in deference of her husband. Ursa gaze flickered over Zhao once, then to glance at her husband with cool distaste. Zhao noticed her full lips were tight and amber eyes dark.

With a flounce of her robes, she continued on her was with Princess Ying-Tai.

Never did Zhao meet a woman of Ozai's who looked at the Prince with such _naked_ distaste. Zhao had no use for beauty, but the iron strength behind the smoldering amber eyes drew him in, and he could not help but notice that Ozai bristled at the princess' pause.

"She no longer amuses me." The prince noted in tones that could freeze the sun when asked later. "The **iromuji **suits her, it covers the scars from our first born and hides the fat of the child she carries." The conversation then turned to the growing influence Ozai was attaining in the court and among the Nation's Navy, and then on to other things.

However the Princess' glare and Ozai's harsh words lingered in Zhao's mind and echoed loudly as the two became more openly hostile during the next few months.

The _open _contempt the Second couple displayed was almost unusual. Ilah had always deferred to husband in all things to her death. Azulon had never been loyal to his Fire Lady and the age gap between the two was painfully large. The entire court suspected the Fire Lady hated her husband to her last breath, which wasn't too long after Ursa's marriage to OzaI, but such hatred was never shown.

The relationship between the Crown Prince and Crown Princess was the complete opposite. While there was an age gap between Iroh and Ying-Tai, the Prince-General's unbridled affection for wife and child was well known and well celebrated among the court. There were few women in the court more loyal or adoring to her husband than the late Crown Princess was to her husband. Iroh's obvious love for his wife became remarkably pitiful to Zhao when Ying-Tai died during her second pregnancy.

Affection between the royals was always empathized while a festering relationship was hidden. The Second Prince and Princess, however, neglected that protocol. They began to openly bare teeth in public and exchange hostile words at dinners. Ursa's dying beauty escaped Ozai's lips often while alone with Zhao in private. The words became _venomous_ after Ursa gave birth to her second child.

Of course, Zhao knew all these signs. The Second Prince often went through a cycle of lust, indifference, hatred and renewed desire for his lovers. Eventually, Zhao's relationship with the Second Prince had twisted to once more into one of their darker turns. While most knew well enough to not return the hatred, even Zhao, Princess Ursa was an oddity. Because of this, Zhao hoped the relationship between Ozai and Ursa would be impossible to reconcile.

* * *

Ursa swore as the needle dug into the pale flesh of her fingertip. She drew away her thread work to glare at the offending needle and sighed, putting the work down next to her chair. The young woman had taken up **bunka shishu**, an art her late mother held near and dear to her heart, when Zuko was born. It had kept Ursa near the nursery where her sickly son's cries could easily be heard by her overly sensitive ears.

Ying-Tai had tried to coax her sister-in-law out into the palace more often, but Ursa wouldn't hear of it. Ursa loved her late friend dearly, but the idea of trusting her son to nursemaids prickled her common sense. The maids had no ties to the boy and would have less care for a sickly child who was stealing the milk that rightfully belong to the children of the nursemaid. Royalty or not, a cries of a hungry child would always be more important than the demand of the Second Prince. Her method worked well enough for Zuko and she knew it would well enough work for Azula, who was much healthier than her brother had been.

The princess picked up the delicate leaf she was attempting to mimic with her stitching. Bunka required long stitches once the outline was done. It was akin to painting in her eyes, rich and far more vibrant than the dull ink washes and fading watercolors. Tempera was used in the paintings of the Firelords in the grand hall, but it never provided the soft shimmering the silken threads provided.

Still, Tempera was less _dangerous _than bunka.

She sighed and lifted herself from the soft lounge to suck on her thumb. The young princess had decided the spirits had informed her that she had spent enough time on sewing for the day and it was time to tend to her daughter before preparing to go outside. Zuko was spending the earlier part of the day with his uncle and cousin until Iroh was to be summoned to the War Meeting. When the meeting began, the Princess would meet her nephew and son with Azula and spend the rest of the afternoon in the garden near the turtleduck pond.

Ursa couldn't help but be amused that Iroh often took care of Zuko more than his six month old niece, not that she could blame him. The little girl was more aggressive than her brother and easily frustrated her mother. Ursa knew it was due to the lack of support. Things with Zuko had been so much easier; Ying-Tai was so helpful and wise and Ozai had given Ursa some attention back then. Now her husband was too busy worming himself through the court to appeal to his constituents or his time was locked with a lover.

The idea of Ozai wanting to be with a concubine filled Ursa with a cold feeling in her stomach while the idea of her husband with another man just left her feeling drained, if not relieved. After all, here wasn't much she could do when a man desired the company of another man. Either way both ideas gave her the impression that Ozai long considered her old and undesirable, she wasn't even _twenty one_ summers old.

With a sigh the amber eyed woman checked herself out in the mirror before fetching her baby. The **yukata **was baggy on her form and very informal for her to be wearing, even when she didn't plan to leave the family quarters of the palace. It was from her youth at Ember Island, when she was more carefree, and she was pleased that it fit her so poorly. She undid the belt and wrapped the folds tighter about her frame; glad to see her stomach was becoming flat again.

She smoothed the cotton over her full hips before she left her private quarters, soft whispers of the trails of her robe echoed in the empty chamber. Her voice was soft as she began to hum and focus on her plans for the rest of the afternoon as she entered the hallway. However, Ursa wasn't so lost in thought that she didn't notice the tall man lurking along the dark halls. She stopped in her stride to look sharply at the figure.

"May I help you, Captain?"

"Such a cold greeting to a family friend, Princess." Zhao began as he man bowed stiffly before approaching Ursa, ignoring the slightest of raises of her brows and her sharpening frown.

Zhao was a formal friend of her husband's and a rising star among the ranks of the Navy. She suspected the two facts were correlated, though her knowledge of military matters were from boring conversations through too long of banquet dinners. Captian Zhao was slightly taller than her husband though of similar built; hard and corded. He didn't seem particularly bulky in the maroon ceremonial plate armor he wore, though he was not lithe while his movements were purposeful and sharp.

"I recall that you are the Second Prince's friend, for I most notably don't recall speaking to you about crafting **temari **or nursing methods in the recent past." Ursa tilted her head, her tone light to mask her annoyance. Perhaps not sweetly enough, she saw the darkness of his brass eyes flare for a moment. His temper was well known, though her sharp tongue had to be well known if Zhao was truly familiar with her husband.

"A good friend of your husband's and acquaintance of your brother-in-law's." He corrected her, the corner of his mouth sharp for a moment before it softened to an almost smile. "The earlier mentioned is whom I'm searching for. It's a matter regarding this afternoon's war meeting and I wished to speak to him prior."

Ursa glanced at the Captain for a moment then swept her gaze down the hall. While she was not expected to follow her husband's schedule, she was privy to most appointments for the very situation that she was in. She sighed only to find the halls bare of such a useful device.

"I know that the meeting is supposed to begin an hour and half after noon." Her body had fallen into a more mechanical routine with Azula, her breasts would ache with the swell of milk almost like clockwork at certain periods of the day. Though she felt almost comfortable, she suspected Azula's mid afternoon feeding would be fairly soon, right after the War Meeting began, if her predictions were correct. "You'll need an escort if you're late." She noted in a warning tone and began to turn around.

"Seeing as the guards are poor at their job, letting a 'stranger' inside the family quarters." Zhao noted with a growing smirk, "Perhaps you'll honor me as your husband's friend and be my escort? In the case that I'm... _late_?"

Ursa gave him a dark look. "In this?" Her hands automatically smoothed down the fabric of the yukata as she looked at the Captain in surprise. Ursa found herself quite proud for not flushing or reacting so feminine. That would have been unforgivable to her pride.

"It's entirely unflattering on you, yes," Zhao remarked dryly while he offered his arm. "But on the whole, suitable for merely escorting a friend, don't you think?"

The young princess stared at the proffered arm, her mind in a whirl about the proper protocol for such a thing. What was she _supposed _to do? While she was higher in rank, Zhao was her husband's friend. Rejecting such a request would be no better than to reject one of her husband's, even if the relationship between the Prince and the Captain was humiliating for her. Ursa suddenly felt very small and uncertain and desperately wanted Ying-Tai's knowledge to guide her. While the young princess was certain the older woman never had mistresses or lovers to contend with, she knew protocol inwards and out.

The inner conflict only continued for a moment before the princess suddenly sighed. She quickly threaded her arm through Zhao's. "I have my own appointment to keep, but for your honor then I suppose." Ursa took a step forward to lead the Captain the wide dark hall though found her speed was forcibly slowed to match with Zhao's. She gave him an irritated look, studying his face.

His expression was disinterested, bordering on stoic. Zhao's mouth was hard and his eyes contemplative. The older man's body kept a respectful distance though his body radiated with heat. Ursa sighed and turned her gaze forward, attempting to mimic the expression of her 'guest'.

The halls began to brighten as they passed by the palace's public garden and two ladies of the court. Ursa dipped her head slightly, ignoring the scorn on their faces at her dress (or perhaps her companion). The young princess suddenly wanted nothing but to break away from Zhao and to the nursery, play with her fussy little Azula, and seek out her sweet. She wanted to disappear to where she meant the most.

Zhao suddenly pulled her closer against his side, his words low and quiet, "Do you worry what your husband will think?"

She stole a sidelong glance at the Captain, his face still held in the same expression as before though his lips were fighting a smirk. Ursa shook her head, as she responded in kind, "No I gave birth to his children." The princess' gaze swept the hall and she continued when she was assured it was just she and Zhao. "The sages say that Zuko could have been a prodigy, if his inner fire wasn't the only thing that kept him alive. They're most assured Azula is healthy-"

"His attention comes in cycles, you know. A downswing, an upswing. I have known the Prince for nearly ten years. You're on a downswing with Ozai, his venom is from frustration because you're not the perfect creature he first saw you as." Zhao other hand's finger tips brushed over the back of her hand curled over his bracer as they approached the grander halls of the Administration Center of the palace.

The sudden caresses almost made Ursa halted in her steps, her expression outraged as he continued to stroke the soft skin. He did not stop the pace and dragged the young woman along. "You're simply free to do what you want. He won't notice rumors. There's no one in this palace you need to fear, for now."

"My father-in-law would be amused by such bold words," Ursa remarked coolly, though she did not draw her hand away as they approached the grander halls of the Administration Center of the palace. The halls were lit and banners shimmered aganist the slanted light of the window capturing the afternoon sun.

She caught Zhao's smirk. "You're a strange girl, Ursa. The Firelord cares little for what his ill-favored son's wife does in her spare time."

They approached the ebony doorway of the War Room, the decorated doors were still wide and open, allowing other military officers into the chamber. The Captain slipped his arm from hers after giving one more caress of his thumb over her hand. "I thank you, your Highness." He bowed stiffly to Ursa once more and approached the door, greeting his peers.

Ursa watched for a moment, her eyes swept over those entering the meeting hall. If her husband was there, he was already in the darkness of the room. The young princess sighed, gathered her skirts, and rushed to the sanctuary of the nursery where she was sure where Azula was still sleeping.

* * *

**Terms used:**

iromuji = Formal kimonos married women wear in Japan  
yukata = Informal robes, often worn during the summer in Japan  
temari = Decorating a ball with thread, a craft from Japan


End file.
